Boltless rail joint.



i. D. EVERETT. Y

BOLTLESS RAIL JOINT.

APPucATloN man ocT. r. 1914.

mw. Patented Fb. 6,1917.

"yf j. f

ffl/@rafle TMES D. EVERETT, OF CROWN POINT, INDIAN.

BOLTLESS BAEL-JOINT.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Felon 6., 11917.

Application tiled October 7, 1914. Serial No. 865,512.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES D. Evnnrrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crown Point, in the county of Lake, State of indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boltless Rail- Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to rail joints, and has for its object the provision of means whereby the abutting ends of rails may be secured without the use of bolts or similar fastenings.

An important object is the provision of a novel rail chair having a new and certain form of angle bars associated therewith and with the rails, means being provided for securing the chair and the angle bars upon the ties whereby movement of the parts of the device will be prevented.

A further object is the provision of a device of this character which will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture and installation, eiicient and durable in use, positive in operation and a general improvement of the art.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the abutting ends of two rails showing my device associated therewith. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken through one of the rails and the adjacent portions of the device. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the chair or supporting plate, and Fig. 4 is a'perspective view of one of the angle bars.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates therails comprising the base 6, the web 7 and the ball 8, the lower sides of the ball being inwardly channeled as shown at 9 adjacent the web 5. The web 5 of each rail is provided adjacent the end of the rail with a plurality of vertically elongated transverse openings 10.

The novel chair comprises a flat plate 11 provided adjacent each longitudinal edge with an upstanding flange 12 and further provided immediately at each longitudinal edge with a flange 13 extending above the top of the ange- 12. Holes 14 are provided through the flanges 12 and the plate 11.` The rails 5 are adapted to have their ends abutted and disposed upon the plate 11 of the chair, the edges of the bases of the rails engaging the fianges 12 and being flush therewith.

Disposed upon opposite sides of the abutting ends of the rails 5 are angle bars 15 which comprise substantially vertical portions 16 engaging the webs of the rails, the upper edges of the vertical portions 16 being disposed within the channels 9 in the balls of the rails. The angle bars 15 further comprise substantially 'horizontal portions 17 engaging the tops of the bases of the rails and having their edges abutting against and flush with the flanges 13. r1`he edges of the portions 17 of the angle bars are provided with notches 18 alining with the openings 1L1 in the chair.

1n order that relative longitudinal movement of the rails may be prevented, l provide a' plurality of lugs or projections 19 on the opposed inner faces of the vertical portions 16 ot the angle bars 15, these lugs being vertically elongated. When the rails are placed upon the chair and the angle bars 15 engaged with the rails, the lugs 19 will enter the holes 10 in the webs of the rails, thus holding the ends of the rails together.'

1n order that the assembled chair, rails and angle bars may be secured upon a tie,

1 provide spikes 20 passing through the notches 18 in the angle bars and the holes 14 in the che ir and driven into the tie.

F rom the foregoing description and a Study of the drawing it will be apparent that 1 have thus provided novel, simple and eicient means whereby rails may be joined and secured upon the cross ties, the device holding the rails firmly against longitudinal movement relatively to each other and lateral movement upon the ties.

Having thus described my invention, li claim:

The combination with the abutting ends of adjacent rails, each having the under faces of its ball portion contiguous to the web provided with continuous inverted tl-shaped retaining grooves having their inner walls of greater height than the outer walls, said rails also having their webs provided with openings; of a chair including a base plate for receiving the bases of the rails and having an upstanding flange adjacent each 1ongitudinal edge of a depth equal to the thicknessof the longitudinal edges of the bases of said rails, said flanges being providedI on their outer edges with bolt openings, a second longitudinal flange at each longitudinal edge of said base plate extending above the first named flange, angle bars having their upper edges substantially shaped to correspond With the grooves in said rails Whereby said upper edges may be engaged in said grooves when mounting the bars in position previous to the engagement of the body portions of the bars with the Webs of the rails, the longitudinal edges of the horizontal portions of said bars being adapted to engage the second named flanges when said bars are in position, lugs formed upon said bars and adapted to engage in the openings in the webs of the rails, and fastening devices mounted in the openings formed in the first named flanges of the chair for securing the parts together.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES D. EVERETT. Witnesses:

OTTO J. BRUCE, W. VINCENT YONKEY. 

